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Orla’s neck twisted and snapped between the two men. Ethel was here… but with someone else? How did any of this make sense? Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. He was dressed in the suit that she had chosen for him back in London. Clearly he didn’t want to forget all of the time they had spent together. He looked a little different than the last time she had seen him, perhaps a little more composed. His beard had thickened, but his eyes were just as penetrating. Orla was elated to see him, but also scared of what that might mean. She was also a little annoyed at herself as well. If she had seen him and felt nothing, then perhaps she could have believed that there was hope for her to love another, but no. Now, as he stood before her, she was filled with that same sense of helplessness she felt as when she had kissed him, as though she was falling into something wonderful. However, she wanted to remain composed. It took all of her willpower, but she inclined her head and managed to keep her voice steady.

“Ye can take the lass out of the Highlands, but ye cannae take the Highlands out of the lass,” she replied. Hamish smirked and stroked his beard.

“How did everything gae in London? Did ye find what ye were looking for in the end?” he asked.

“Nae quite,” Orla replied quickly. Not with anyone from England, certainly. Only with him, before he had left. She could have a tantrum or rage against him, but it would not do any good. Really, she wasn’t angry at him, but at herself. He had come to her and had been plain with his feelings, while she was the one who turned away when it mattered most. Now that she was in his presence again, she had no idea how she could have ever wanted to spend time with some rude English cretin rather than Hamish.

“Hae ye settled back intae the Highlands well? I see ye… companion is quite at home,” Orla struggled to find the proper word to describe Ethel. Was she his wife? Lover? She cast her gaze across the room once again, and saw the woman standing beside a man that Orla could now see was clearly not Hamish. He was a little older, with deeper lines etched into his face. But what did this mean? Were Hamish and Ethel even together? If not, then did that mean…

“I think ye and I need tae hae a wee conversation,” Hamish said quietly and then added, “in private.”

They left the feasting hall. The sounds of the celebration faded as they walked through the wide wooden double doors. The gathering of people poured through the keep, although mostly confined either to the main hall, or to the field outside where there was a great fire crackling, spreading warmth to fight against the chill of the Highlands. Orla suspected that a few lovers were strolling around the courtyard as well, sneaking kisses in the secret nooks they could find. Her cheeks burned with arousal and desire, for now that Hamish was directly before her again, the sensations of his kiss came thundering back, making her knees tremble weakly.

However, they did not head towards the courtyard. Instead, they ascended flights of stairs and walked through to a balcony that overlooked the Highlands. At night the moon was pale, the stars shone, and it was as though a blanket had been thrown over the world. The forests were thick with darkness and it was difficult to see the outlines of the individual trees. They blended into one formless mass that promised mystery and intrigue. If the stories were true, then the creatures of the night like pixies and elves would have been frolicking now. Elsewhere, there were small pinpricks of light from other villages in the distance, signs that they were not alone in this world.

Hamish placed his hands on the stone ledge of the balcony, gazing out. He bowed his head slightly.

“There’s something ye should know about Ethel,” he said.

Orla decided that she was going to be the bigger person. “Ye dinnae hae tae say anything Hamish. I know it’s my fault. Ye tried tae tell me how ye felt, and I ignored ye. I let ye leave when I should hae told ye tae stay. It’s something that I shall always regret, but I am glad that ye are happy, truly. Even if it is with an Englishwoman,” she added with a smile, although there was no humor at all behind her eyes. Hamish tilted his head to gaze at her.

“I am nae happy, lass,” he said gravely. “And if ye listen then ye shall understand why. I dinnae know why ye hae it in ye mind that there was something brewing between Ethel and me. The fact is that she cornered me at the ball and would nae lat me gae. I humored her, nae wanting tae be rude. There was never anything romantic between us.”

“Really? But I was told that she wanted something romantic with… well… everyone.”

Hamish wore a grim expression. “Aye, and that’s part of the problem. Ethel did want something from me, but it was nae love, it was a way out. She wanted someone she could trust, as everyone else she knew in London hae abandoned her, and her reputation always stepped before her.”

“Well, I suppose if she choose tae live her life that way, she cannae be angry at the consequences.”

“But she dinnae choose that life, Orla. That’s what I’m trying tae tell ye. That’s why she asked me tae bring her back tae the Highlands with me. Ye see, she was raped by a member of her family. She would nae sae who it was. When she tried tae find justice, naebody believed her, and if raping her was nae bad enough, this man then spread rumors about her that she was a harlot, and everyone believed him. I suppose when everyone looks at ye in a certain way, ye start tae act as they expect, but she wanted something different from her life. When she learned that I was visiting, she hoped tae befriend me and hae me take her back tae the Highlands. Well, actually, her first plan was tae seduce me and come back as my wife, but she quickly learned that I was nae interested, seeing I already had feelings for somebody else.”

The story was a harrowing one, and Orla was wracked with guilt at how easily she had believed Collin’s lies. Her mind went back to the Duke’s ball and to all the men who had been there. Which one had it been? She supposed it did not matter that much, the only thing that mattered was the fact that it had happened at all. Her tale was so sorrowful that Orla almost missed the last thing that Hamish had said.

Almost.

“I feel like such a fool. I dinnae even question what Collin told me. I should hae known better.”

“We all learned a lot in England,” he said.

“Aye… I learned a lot myself, tae. I’m sorry Hamish. I’m sorry for everything. I acted like an errant bairn. I should hae been more mature. I let myself get swayed by what I thought London would be like, rather than what it really was. Ye asked me how things went in London, well, the truth is they were awful. After ye left everything was awful,” she admitted. Hamish’s ears pricked up at this. He turned his body towards her.

“I wanted tae tell ye something the morning that ye left, but I never got a chance.”

“Then how about ye tell me now?” Hamish suggested.

Orla looked into his eyes, eyes that now seemed as big as the moon. Her stomach fluttered with nerves, but they were the excited kind, the kind that soared on waves of love.

“I wanted tae tell ye that I was gaeing tae end any chance of a betrothal with Collin. He was nae the man I thought he was, and in fact I hae already met the kind of man I want for a husband. He’s strong, kind, and he comes tae my defense even when I dinnae ask him. And when he kisses me, it’s like I’m taken tae another world and-”

Before she could say anything else, her words were suffocated by a kiss. Hamish swept her up in his arms again, her body arching against his. She welcomed the taste of his breath and the soft scratch of his beard upon her. She ran her fingers through his hair and down his back, while he cradled the back of her head. Tingles ran down her body and it was as though she was home again. This was where she belonged; by this man’s side.

She had been a fool to believe otherwise.

Eventually, Hamish broke the kiss, leaving their lips an inch apart, their breath swirling into one. “I’m sorry for interrupting ye, but I could nae wait any longer tae kiss ye. There was a time when I thought I would never hae ye. I thought ye were bound for London.”

“Ye hae always hae me Hamish. I just dinnae know it at first,” she replied with a smile. They then kissed again. Happiness danced with desire. This time, Orla promised herself that she was not going to let Hamish go.